First of all I just wanted to point out this somewhat fail of a headline in terms of wording.
Second of all, the Wolves play Memphis at home tonight, on Groundhog Day. Speaking of which, that little guy apparantly did not see his shadow today, meaning spring might some early. But after this butt-puckering morning and the rest of the nation looking somewhat like Dennis Quaid's The Day After Tomorrow, I somehow doubt it. Anyhow, on to more Gay matters. Rudy that is. He has had a very nice season thus far but his team is mired in mediocrity, and probably for years to come (unlike the Wolves of course, who are still fighting hard for that 8th seed). They have some obvious decisions to make on Marc Gasol and OJ Mayo, who is currently serving a 10-game suspensions because he apparently bought the wrong energy drink at a gas station. Nice, I'll use that one next time I get caught sticking a needle in my ass. So, game wise, anyone out there not predicting another Groundhog Day-esque Wolves performance? It's a fitting metaphor to start February, where we began an epic landslide into oblivion last year. Not that this seasons' win total is any greater or less than last years' as it stands today.
Please use this as a game thread if desired
In other news, Wes Johnson has made the rookie game, all but locking him in as the only Wolves participant in all-star festivities. I'm pretty sure that all of the TWB writers could have made the rookie team with a strict training regime. What a gawdawful rookie class. Speaking of the rookie class, note that the man many Minnesotans often masturbated to this summer, Kermit the Frog sound-alike Evan Turner, did not make the squad, getting beat out by Gary Neal (?). The rest of the team:
Joining Johnson on the Rookie team this year are Detroit's Greg Monroe, the Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Bledsoe and Blake Griffin, New Jersey's Derrick Favors, New York's Landry Fields, Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, San Antonio's Gary Neal and Washington's John Wall.
The sophomores, taken from a different article, since the one from Timberwolves.com oddly did not list the sophomores:
Joining Evans on the Sophomore team are: San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson, Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday, Oklahoma City Thunder forward/center Serge Ibaka, Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, and Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews. Strangely, Jonny Flynn was left off the roster.
Ok, I added in that last part.
Those of you still holding on to hope that Love will somehow miraculously be selected to the all-star team despite an 11-win record can find out the results tomorrow.
In other news, Glen Taylor and RT Rybak hosted a presser on a proposed renovation of Target Center. I would highly encourage everyone who is participating in this debate to please read this (biased, of course) website before posting anything:
http://www.targetcenterrenovation.org/
I understand the immediate knee-jerk thought of "why would we pay taxes for the Wolves blah blah blah." But, it first must be understood that downtown Minneapolis does indeed need a mid/large sized arena in order to support the total entertainment demands of our (surprisingly large...top 15) market. Target Center operates on a much deeper level than the Wolves alone and I would think Target Center falling under its own weight (see: Metrodome, Hubert H Humphrey) one day would eventually have some negative consequences on the metro area economy, which is bad enough as it is with or without Target Field. This comes by way of taxes generated from local businesses and several other money-related implications you don't often think about on a surface level. The Xcel center is not a sustainable option to support the Wild, Wolves and every single lame-duck lip-synching musical act that comes through town reeking of hair gel and fake tanner. Sure, they probably exaggerate the current projected lifespan of Target Center, but it's difficult to not see the need to invest large vs. small. This tends to be a good approach in just about any business situation vs. the ever-popular but rarely successful Band-Aid approach as it were. Learning more about the financial implication of such a large, unexpected endeavor is going to interesting. However, Mr. Taylor, if you are really shelling out millions of dollars of your own money for this to happen, then a few thoughts for you, since you are obviously reading this carefully:
1. Thank you, to be honest and fair. Those of us crying contraction I think would deep down be pretty upset if the Wolves were to cease to exist or be moved. I would be devastated and I think an owner who will invest so much personal capital to keep the team around would earn a bit more respect than he currently gets as far as I am concerned. HOWEVER (and this is a gigantic HOWEVER)....
2. Please, then, also spend on the on-court product. I can't stress this enough. Just please let Tony Ronzone call the shots. Add a veteran player or two even if it costs more, and do it this month to prove to people you are willing to put a winner on the floor. This is the other side of the coin....if you support what we watch every day, especially those remaining since it all went downhill in 2005, we will support your money making endeavor. Even if we say we won't.
3. As a Minneapolis resident, I would pay taxes if it meant a better fan experience at the Target Center and also helped a downtown area that obviously struggles during wintertime and sees far too many business turn over. As a former resident of the area, it was ugly. I would also shell a little bit of cash if it meant keeping the team around. 11-wins or not, the small but die-hard faction of Wolves fans should be setting an example for our woefully fair-weathered state.
Lastly, a photo of what TC would look like:
Pretty cool if you ask me.
